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OSLO DISTRICT COURT (VG) Laila Anita Bertheussen, former Minister of Justice for Tor Mikkel Wara, has been sentenced to one year and eight months in prison for threats and attacks on democracy.
The verdict against Laila Bertheussen will be handed down in the Oslo District Court on Friday afternoon.
Judge Yngvild Thue begins by reading the verdict, that is, the conclusion.
– It is a unanimous verdict, begins Thue.
The judge continues reading the conclusion:
** Bertheussen is convicted of threats against his partner and former Minister of Justice Tor Mikkel Wara, whom the court considers a «attacks on the activities of the highest state organs».
This was the most severe record of the prosecution.
** Bertheussen is also convicted of a threatening letter that was placed in the mailbox of the political couple Christian and Ingvil Smines Tybring-Gjedde in January 2019.
Three hours have been reserved for sentencing and the judge will read excerpts from the verdict and explain the content further.
Direct VG: Follow the verdict directly here
Bertheussen is present in room 250, dressed in black clothes and a black bandage. She was acquitted of the charge of fabricated criminal act.
Therefore, she was accused
The trial against Bertheussen began in the Oslo District Court on September 8 and ended on October 23 last year.
For seven weeks, the court heard how the prosecution believes it was Bertheussen who was behind a series of threatening incidents against Tor Mikkel Wara and the political couple Ingvil Smines Tybring-Gjedde and the parliamentary representative Christian Tybring-Gjedde.
The attacks include car fires, vandalism, and various threatening letters.
You can read the full indictment against Bertheussen here.
They consider that she has made threats and attacks on the activities of the higher organs of the State, for which she should be sentenced to two years in prison.
DEFENDANT: Laila Anita Bertheussen had no role in public before being accused of threats and attacks against democracy. Photo: Ane Hem / VG
Judge: Rejects one-way investigation
Laila Bertheussen does not admit criminal guilt. She believes that someone else must be behind this, and during the case she has repeatedly criticized the Police Security Service (PST) for having “tunnel vision” and a one-way investigation.
The district court disagrees. During the sentence, the judge is clear that the case has been thoroughly investigated.
– There is no evidence that the police or the PST had tunnel vision during the investigation, says Thue.
The judge further says that Bertheussen’s defense has noted that there is no conclusive evidence in the criminal case, such as DNA traces or confessions linking Bertheussen to the case.
The judge agrees that there is no single piece of evidence linking her to the case. However, the court emphasizes that the law does not distinguish between evidence related to the criminal act and more indirect evidence, that is, a series of leads.
– The relevant question for the court is what weight should be given to the evidence presented during the main hearing. Some will be given great weight, others less. Some may speak against a given result. The court’s evaluation of the evidence is based on a general assessment of all this. Every moment doesn’t need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, as long as it does, Thue says.
